The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confronted unprecedented challenges in 2024, responding to a record 43 humanitarian emergencies, including 26 newly declared crises. Seven of these reached the agency’s highest emergency level, reflecting escalating global needs due to ongoing conflicts, new wars, and climate-related disasters, as highlighted in the recently released 2024 Impact Report: Response to New Emergencies and Protracted Crises.
The war in Sudan remained a central focus for UNHCR, with relief efforts continuing into a second year to address the severe regional impact. Alongside Sudan, other conflict zones such as Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo demanded significant humanitarian response.
Climate-related emergencies also played a major role in driving displacement, with nine climate-related emergency declarations issued the highest in a single year. These emergencies, ranging from extreme floods to heavy rains, further complicated ongoing crises, leading to secondary challenges like disease outbreaks and infrastructure collapse across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
“UNHCR is on the ground in 130 countries, deploying by land, air, and sea to meet the growing needs of displaced populations,” said Ayaki Ito, Director of UNHCR’s Division of Emergency, Security and Supply. “While innovative technologies like enhanced early warning systems and data analytics are improving response efficiency, funding gaps remain a significant challenge.”
In 2024, UNHCR dispatched 5.1 million relief items worth $45.8 million, reaching approximately 6 million people in need. These efforts were supported by prepositioned supplies from regional and local warehouses. The organization also bolstered its emergency response capacity by training 240 staff and partners, ensuring readiness to deploy within 72 hours. In addition, 132 experts were deployed last year to assist with gender-based violence prevention, health services, site management, data, and logistics.
Through its digital outreach, 9 million displaced individuals accessed critical information via UNHCR’s Help websites, showcasing the growing impact of the agency’s online presence in crisis areas.
UNHCR underscored the urgent need for flexible and early funding from donors to maintain its ability to respond swiftly to emerging crises. Despite its significant achievements in 2024, the agency pointed to the widening gap between the growing scale of humanitarian crises and the available resources to address them.
“Flexible and early support from donors is crucial to allow us to act immediately, wherever needed,” Ito emphasized.
As conflicts and climate change continue to strain global stability, UNHCR is committed to enhancing its readiness for future challenges. Investments in training, logistics, and technology aim to strengthen its capacity to alleviate suffering and rebuild lives in the face of mounting adversity.
With continued support, UNHCR remains determined to protect and provide for the world’s most vulnerable populations. The agency will present its comprehensive findings and future strategies at the upcoming UN General Assembly on Refugees and Displaced Persons in late 2025.